This post is from the JMBzine Blog Vault, which means it is a very old blog post that I wrote at a very different time of my life. My views on religion, politics, and many other subjects have drastically changed over the years, so please bear this in mind when reading this post. – I generally do not edit my past writings, except to fix obvious spelling issues, or to fix broken links (most often replacing with links to archive.org). I do add some more recent editorial updates, which are shown in blue and italicized, along with dates.
Monday, October 29, 2001
7:45 pm
Crazy enough, I’m posting from an internet terminal in a Flying J Truck Stop just south of Waco, TX in route to Oklahoma. Kinda silly, but I had to try this out for novelty’s sake. only 20 cents per minute. (2023 Update: This was back in the days when cell phone internet wasn’t commonly available.)
This afternoon I read about an interesting project in the NY Times, I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but it basically allows you to see what websites looked like in the past. (2023 Update: This is kinda hilarious because I’m using Archive.org almost 22 years later to recover my blog!)
1:26 pm
Well I’m leaving San Marcos yet again for Oklahoma. My grandpa’s funeral is tomorrow, so I’ll be in OK until Wednesday night.
Also, for any Austinites look for me downtown on 6th Street on Halloween. I’ll be working that night in my usual job as a pedi-cab driver. If you mention this website to me, the ride is free. (unless it’s really long or uphill, then you better tip me good 😉
1:24 pm
From MSNBC:
- An interesting opinion piece on why women should have to register for the draft -(2023 Update: broken link) I don’t think I agree with this, because I don’t think anyone should be drafted. But, the author does make an interesting point concerning gender equality. Equal rights come with equal responsibilities.
However, I would also say that life isn’t 100% equal. Biology gives women the greater responsibility for bringing life into the world, at least for the first nine months after conception. It might not be fair, but women get stuck with the harder role.I really don’t know. I’m for equal rights and am opposed to drafting anyone, male or female.
1:41 am
Curtis Publishing has a gallery of the 25 favorite Norman Rockwell covers of the Saturday Evening Post. I know many folks may think Rockwell was too sentimental or sappy, but I love his work. His technique is without compare and his vision of the world was amazing.
Also, people forget that Rockwell in his later years painted several anti-war paintings during the Vietnam era.
From the NY Times:
- The Rising Career of a Young Director. No, Really Young. – a fascinating story on 12-year-old documentary film director Chaille Stovall . Here are a few quotes that I thought were especially good…
Chaille’s wry commentary about the election process is interspersed with the interviews, which can be both tough and comic. Meeting Florida Governor Jeb Bush, he asks, “Are you jealous of your brother?” Christine Todd Whitman, then governor of New Jersey, is asked why there aren’t more women in the top levels of government. Other candidates are asked to explain the differences between Republicans and Democrats. . .
But Chaille was not satisfied with the opinions of candidates and television journalists. “Kids are out of the political loop,” he said, and he wanted to bring them in. During the Democratic convention in Los Angeles, Chaille and his crew attended an MTV “Rock the Vote” event at the House of Blues. He met Wilmer Valderrama, a star of “That 70’s Show,” a Fox sitcom popular with teenagers, who was exhorting young people to become more politically active. Chaille asked him point-blank, “Do you know who your local congressman is?” The actor did not. Within minutes, Democratic press aides evicted Chaille and his crew.
AT the Republican convention, Chaille ran into a young boy sporting pink hair and an earring. “Do you know the difference between a Democrat and a Republican?” Chaille asked. The boy’s retort, “I don’t care,” seemed to reflect the views of many young people.
“Most voters don’t know who their congressmen and senators are, don’t care and aren’t familiar with the issues,” Chaille said.
No less experienced an interviewer than Larry King, himself one of Chaille’s subjects, praised the young filmmaker’s approach. “I loved his whole attitude, his aggressiveness,” Mr. King said. “He came right up to me and said, `I’m a young kid, but I want to be like you, I want to do interviews.’ ”
Mr. King added: “When I was growing up in Brooklyn, I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. Chaille reminded me of my own early childhood when I practiced in front of a mirror broadcasting Dodger games. The kid is very professional and handles himself well. I don’t know if he’ll become a broadcaster, but whatever he chooses, he’ll succeed. He’s got half the battle licked: he goes to the hunt. The odds are, eventually, he’ll catch the fox and win big time.”
2023 Update: It looks like Chaille Stovall is still active. Here is profile on IMDB and here is his profile on Linkedin.
1:12 am
The AP reports that Gunmen kill 16 at a church in Pakistan (2023 Update: Broken link)
Also, The Guardian has an interesting article that discusses the situation in Pakistan and the danger of the country falling apart.